Monthly Archives: January 2017

Lyorri is two now. I managed to skip her actual birthday party, and dropped her gifts off while she was napping before the party. I’m mostly relieved I didn’t have to see her, but I also feel a little shitty about being relieved.

I did get the chance to have some punch and talk with Kes and Ordinicus. I’ll admit it’s been a while which isn’t the way I should be treating two of my best friends, but it’s complicated with Lyorri there. She’s starting to grow out of napping which makes it more difficult to predict when the best time to go there will be. I don’t care if she hates me, but I don’t want to deal with her hating me either, so I’d rather not see her at all.

My father has a problem with that, and I guess I understand his point of view a bit. Kind of. Not really. Or, well, not at all. I ran into him while leaving Kes and Ordinicus to get ready for their party. I guess he was going to the party. He thought I should stay, and got mad when I told him I couldn’t.

I told him I was busy, and I am. I’m being paid to do more research in the city, and I had to spend a little time on that before going to meet with Imralion and returning home. He said that if I cared a little more, I’d make time for her.

I should have held my tongue and let it go, but I’m not very good at that sometimes, so I asked him if he cared much when he was out drinking.

I don’t think we’re on speaking terms anymore. At least, not for now.

Which is a shame because I wanted to ask him for advice.

Luckily, I don’t HAVE to ask him. I did talk about it with Kes and Ordinicus before leaving. I also got a chance to ask Hethurin though it was a little strange talking to him about it.

I think Imralion was hinting at marriage the other day, and my immediate instinct was to panic and change the subject. I’ve been engaged before, more than once, and never married, so I think getting engaged is the scary part, not actual marriage. Im and I talked about it a little bit more, and neither of us know if things change or anything. We live together and I’m happy with him. I don’t want that to change.

Anyway, Kes said she felt more secure. She knows Ordinicus will always be there for her no matter what.

I guess I don’t really have that, but I’m not worried about him leaving me, not right now anyway.

He shouldn’t worry about me either.

But now I’m thinking about it, and the things they said about how it changes were all positive, and it’s nothing really different. Is there really a reason to say no? I guess if I’m afraid of being engaged, I could just ask him if we could get married as soon as possible. I don’t think we could be accused of rushing things. We’ve been together for four years now.

I hesitated asking Hethurin about it, and waited until we had already left for Shattrath for the week. There’s some history there that I didn’t really want to dredge up especially considering where we are, but I’m really good at not listening to myself so I asked him for his opinion on the matter anyway. As it turns out, it didn’t dredge up anything and he was suddenly excited about having another wedding. I told him to hold off on planning anything because Im and I really need to discuss it first. I was able to get some questions in. I asked if things change after the wedding, and he said he’s never felt happier, but then he was able to get through the engagement too.

I’ve been having classes in the house here instead of the library. I still don’t want to go to the library. The sitting room is perfect for a small class room. Imralion wasn’t able to get the week off so I’m here alone so the students aren’t in his way either.

I miss him. I did promise to teleport home a couple of nights this week to see him. I should do that soon. He’s about to be an uncle, so I don’t think he tried too hard to get the week off, which I understand. He wants to be there for his sister, and to meet his niece or nephew.

Hello. I hope this letter finds you safe and well. Lanthiriel told me that you wrote, and that you’re doing okay, but you’re really busy. I was hoping things would be going faster, and that you’d either have more free time or be home already. I guess if they still need people, then you’re one of the best they could have. Still, I hope they let you leave soon as we all miss you.

Vaildor especially misses you on days when he has class at the art school in the city. He always mentions it when I go to make his portal home to Lani and Confessor Morthorn. I think he’s stalking your place at lunch time to see if you’re back yet, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of the first to know when you’re home.

Lani has arranged for him to have a portal from a mage in the city for this week though because it was time to take the students to Shattrath again. I think they all enjoy the trips here and it’s a good opportunity to read books that I don’t have in the school. I also always buy a few books to add to the library while I’m here. My library has really grown since I first moved to the Ghostlands, but more won’t hurt!

Malwen misses you more than Vaildor does. She told me to tell you that because she read what I wrote. She made a drawing that I’m sending with this letter. It’s of you reading a story to her. She also drew a dragon because, according to her, the story is about a dragon. Also she put a crown on her head because she’s really a princess and the dragon is nice to princesses. She didn’t explain what the green blob is because she got distracted by Terellion going to the market and she wanted to tag along.

I saved the biggest news for last. During the holiday, I asked Terellion for a very special gift. We went to pick one up, but we couldn’t find any of what we were looking for, so we put our names on the waiting list. A few days ago, I got a letter that one had been brought in, so we went to look. We brought home a two-day-old baby boy from the orphanage. His name is Galandil Fairsong, and he is beautiful even if he cries a lot. Esladra, Lani and Priest Haldeith Sunstone all looked at him before we came to Shattrath, but nothing is wrong. He just cries when he’s awake. I kind of understand. I like sleeping too.

(( I’ve been short on time since the school year started, but I really wanted to catch up on some characters for the holiday, so here’s a few short stories! ))

Malwen’s Diary

Dear Diary,

We had a really great holiday! Ann’da and Arcann’da gave me a really fancy doll. I have to keep it in my loft to make sure that Narise doesn’t get to it. She can’t climb up there yet.

There was a big party too, and everyone came to it. There was music and dancing and Tik made his really good food again. Ann’da says there’s spinach in it, but I don’t believe him because it tastes better than spinach. They’re called spinach rolls though, so maybe there’s a little spinach in them. Tik must use the good-tasting kind.

The day after the party, Ann’da and Arcann’da wanted to talk to me. They asked me if I would like to have a little brother! I like babies and I’m getting old enough to really help! They said they have to wait until a baby boy comes to one of the orphanages, but they have their name on the lists! I’m so excited!

—

Alinash’s Perch

A light snow fell around Alinash Brightblaze as sat between two chimneys on the roof across from the building he was watching. He shivered as he watched below. If the gate around the property hadn’t been enough, it was guarded as well. He was beginning to believe he’d never get his stupid trinket back. The guard rarely left his post, and never for a very long time.

What do they want with my bauble? He was angry he had left it out of his sight to begin with, but now it was in the hands of this rich woman whom he had only seen wear it once. Typical. She probably put it away and forgot about it already.

He frowned, and continued waiting to see if there would be an opportunity tonight.

—

Isturon’s Letter

Dear Lanthiriel,

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write sooner. As you may have suspected, I’ve been quite busy tending the injured, and we are short on staff, so there is rarely a free moment. I only hope I have the time to finish this letter. You don’t know how many times I’ve started to write, only to stop, intending to come back to it later, but being so busy that I don’t get to sit down again until three days later.

The worst injuries were in the first few weeks, but for now the demons seem to be driven back. There is still a lot to do. They are driven back, but not gone. The tent here is far enough away that we aren’t in any immediate danger.

I believe I’ve met someone here who your brother may know. She says her son attended Fairsong Academy, and currently works there as a teaching assistant. She is one of the few healers we send out with a portal mage to stabilize and quickly transport the injured to us. I’m guessing she has less time to sit than I do, so if you could, let her son know that she is doing well.

Also, please let your siblings know that I am fine. I wish I could write to each of you individually, but already, I must get back to work.

Light bless,

Isturon

—

Aeramin’s Letter

Alinash,

I’ve spent my late afternoons in the Spire doing the search through the records as you requested. I did not have much luck at first, but I think I may have found something that will interest you.

The first thing I found was a birth record from 38 years ago for a Thal’inas Blightblade. I figured I’d follow up on it, and found a missing person report three years after. I found no other records for Thal’inas.

So I looked up the parents. His father, Beluar Blightblade, was a common blacksmith. I found records indicating that he specialized in making metal frames for carriages. I also found a missing person report for him filed on the same day that his son’s was filed. Both were filed by the guard. Along with that, he is also wanted for questioning by the guard.

I looked up the mother, Cythril Daeras, after that. She was born to one of the lesser noble houses, but at the time of her marriage to Beluar, there were changes to her parent’s will, where she was written out of it. Yes, I checked. You’re not in line to inherit anything if you are Thal’inas, but you have one living cousin who survived the Scourge invasion, and she appears to be living modestly and without title in Eversong.

There was a death certificate for Lady Daeras. She died just before her son and husband went missing. The cause of death was listed as blunt trauma combined with blood loss.

I could do a search of the newspapers archived at the library, but it will take some time. I wouldn’t request more pay for the task as well.

(( I’m still working through last year’s prompts. This one is to satisfy the one about a story on a boat, and happens just before my second novel, currently being written! ))

Abinar was dead, and it felt almost like a relief to Imralion, who, fresh out of his training to be an adahi had been assigned to the aging mage. Abinar had been assigned to a small town in central Naren, and although his post had been given to a younger mage ten years prior, Thril Gandir had given the permission for the older mage to remain there with his adahi. When his adahi passed of old age before him, Imralion was sent to be the mage’s new adahi for the rest of his years.

After the mage died, he had returned to Rathel. Now he already had a new assignment. Imralion glanced out the porthole next to the table he sat at in the mess deck next to the ship’s galley. The ship had started moving. He watched the dock pass out the window as his thoughts continued.

A relief. It wasn’t that the old mage wasn’t pleasant to be around. It was quite the contrary. Abinar had been full of stories, and never failed to share them, often joking as he told his tales. Imralion had often thought of him as the grandfather he had never had. At least, that’s how it had been at first. Over the past year, the mage’s condition had worsened. The last few months had been the hardest. The relief came from knowing the old mage was no longer in pain.

Imralion looked out over the waves as the ship began to drift away from the shore. He’d only been back for a little over a week before being called forth to receive a new assignment. He had been relieved to find out that he would have to meet this one in Thril Gandir. That meant there was a much better chance that this one was not elderly. He had been told little of the mage except his specialty was fire magic, a fairly dangerous magic which was not often allowed out of Thril Gandir, indicating to Imralion that his assignment must have the record of a saint. Furthering this belief was the fact that they weren’t being assigned to a certain town. They were on a free travel assignment, which basically meant that they could go anywhere at any time. Imralion had never heard of a fire specialized mage having free travel assignment before, and he hoped that meant the job would be an easy one of camaraderie rather than control. An adahi was trained not only to protect the mage they were assigned to, but to also protect other people from the mage. A fire specialized mage would be trickier to stop than say someone who’s specialty was wards, or conjuration.

He glanced out over the water out the porthole. The mainland was already fading in the distance. This time tomorrow, he would be traveling back with his mage.